By 2028, 30% of Fortune 500 companies will offer service only through a single, AI-enabled channel that allows communication through text, image, and sound, according to Gartner, Inc.

Multichannel service journeys have become increasingly complex and expensive, leading to a disjointed customer experience and reduced customer retention.

Services and support leaders will re-examine omnichannel strategies and leverage advancements in voice-enabled conversational AI to dramatically simplify the service experience.

Instead of offering multiple, distinct channels, a single, AI-powered channel with uninterrupted transitions between different modes of interacting – for example, voice, chat, and video – will exist even within the same interaction.

“As GenAI continues to mature and facilitate seamless voice interactions, voice-based customer service isn’t going away. It will instead evolve to meet customers’ needs for a more simple service experience,” said Patrick Quinlan, senior director analyst, in the Gartner Customer Service and Support practice.

“Service and support leaders must pivot from a long-held focus on which channels customers use, to a focus on how customers want to communicate.”

Other Gartner predictions to help service and support leaders respond to the changing landscape in 2024 and beyond surround mobile devices and fraud attempts.

GenAI has changed the way consumers search for and understand information. In fact, a Gartner survey of 5,459 respondents in August and September 2024 revealed that 45% of customers report using GenAI in their personal life, at work, or both.

With conversational GenAI so firmly integrated into the mobile device experience, customers will self-solve through third-party assistants such as Apple AI and Google Gemini rather than resolve issues through a service organization’s official channel.

“Official customer service channels are higher-effort and more complicated, and customers will be drawn to third-party AI platforms that offer quick fixes and more seamless navigation,” said Quinlan.

“If a customer can simply ask their phone for the answer, organizations will need to evaluate if their investments in self-service portals are paying off and consider possible customer-facing conversational AI solutions.”

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Conversely, conversational AI tools will appeal to fraudsters who will utilise the same technology to bypass automated systems and deceive live service agents.

To combat this, Gartner expects service and support organisations will develop strategies to counter fraud and protect customers, implementing sophisticated identity verification and multi-layered security requirements for the simplest of interactions.

“It’s important to note that though the intention was to reduce customer effort, a single, AI-enabled channel may actually increase efforts and lead to customer churn,” said Quinlan.

“Leaders will need to balance strategies to reduce effort with those to protect customers from fraud.”